


The Zoomies

by eaten_by_bears



Category: Transformers Generation One
Genre: Crack, Gen, Kup/Ultra Magnus (implied), Racers, zoomies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-15
Updated: 2013-06-15
Packaged: 2017-12-15 01:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,191
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/843913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eaten_by_bears/pseuds/eaten_by_bears
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I was up early and bored. So were my rambunctious cats. I got inspired.</p><p>The idea that racers get the zoomies like cats do isn't my original invention, but I don't know whose it is. If you do, please let me know, and I'll be happy to credit them!</p><p>Comments and criticism are welcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Zoomies

RrrrrrRRRRRRRClank.

RrrrrrRRRRRRRClank.

RrrrrrRRRRRRRClank.

Arcee was doing her best to stay asleep. She really was. The relative quiet of Earth was still new and luxurious, regularly scheduled sleep shifts uninterrupted by surprise attacks were even more so, especially when she could take them with Springer. But that sound wasn't stopping, and after a while, she was too curious to stay asleep.

"What is that?" she asked.

"Mm." Springer covered his head with his arm.

"No, come on." She shook him gently. "That rrrr-clank. What is that?"

"Cee, if it doesn't have a laser down my throat, I don't care. Go back to sleep."

She waved him off as a hopeless case and sprang over his sleeping body to the door. She poked her head out just as the 'rrrr' was building in volume and saw a blue streak flash past in the hall. When it hit the far wall with a 'clank,' it held still long enough for her to make out Blurr before he took off again.

"Hey! What are you doing?" But he was far enough out of range that she had to transform and give chase if she hoped to catch him up and ask.

It felt good to be moving at speed, darting down the deserted hallways after the distant shape. He outpaced her, but she had the advantage in agility. When they completed the circuit and came to the wall, clank, she sprang at him before he had the chance to drop to his wheels again. He jolted in her arms, apparently unaware that she'd been chasing him. She batted his hands away from her face. "I just wanted to know what you were doing!"

"Doing? What do you mean what am I doing? I can't do anything, not by myself, and I have to do it by myself because nobody else is awake! Do you know how much work we have to do? There aren't enough hours in the day, and now there's even less than when we started because everyone's wasting half the morning not doing anything but I'm awake and I can't go back to sleep so I'm waiting for my patrol to get up so we can get something done."

The whole speech took about an astrosecond.

"Oh. All right." She stood up off of him to let him continue on his way. Honestly, she could sympathize. It was hard doing nothing when there was so much to be done. And now that she was awake, she was filled with a twitchy, circuit-jangling energy she couldn't quite shake off. When he transformed and dashed off down the hall again, she followed, doing her best to match his speed.

 _//Why are you following now if you were just following me to ask me a question and I answered the question when you stopped me the first time?//_ Clank.

She paused, still in vehicle mode, waiting for him to right himself. _//Well, now I'm awake too. There's nothing to do this early//_

 _//You're right there's nothing to do this early, I mean there's plenty to do but what can we do if we don't have the officers or the authorization codes to the cargo bay or anyone that can haul more than half a cyberton?//_ He took off rolling again, darting around the corners of the halls. _//And I told Prowl but he told me to go back to sleep and I can't go back to sleep because I've never been more awake in my function!//_

As she shifted gears for a straightway, another engine joined them.

 _//Hi, guys!//_ Hot Rod joined them in streaking around the halls, hot magenta added to the pale pink and blue. _//We racing? What lap are you on? Can I take winner?//_

 _//Hi, Hot Rod//_ Arcee said, ducking down a byway for a moment, the main hallway crowded with three cars instead of two. _//It's not a race, and I don't know what lap we're on//_

 _//I'm on lap twenty-five, and you're on lap six assuming you didn't do a few circuits before you jumped me which I think I can assume because you only got up to see what I was doing and if that was what you wanted, why would you want to wait?//_ Blurr said, barely managing to drift around the corner without hitting the wall this time.

 _//Okay, there's your answer//_ She hadn't been counting on Blurr hitting the turn, and she had to transform so she didn't hit the wall in alt mode herself. She pushed off, landing on Hot Rod's hood and hand-springing back to her wheels, doing her best to keep up her speed. A fourth engine joined them. Arcee scanned the hall, curious who it was, and felt a stab of guilt when she recognized the Ark's security chief. Hot Rod was just a kid, and Blurr was... Blurr, but she should've known better than to let them tear around the base like that.

 _//Ah. Hey there, officer. Nice morning?//_ She slowed down to talk to him, but he zipped past her, forcing her to run harder to keep up.

 _//Oh, beautiful//_ Red Alert snapped. _//Or I'm sure it will be once the morning technically begins// ___

__Sharp tone aside, he didn't seem to be asking them to stop. In fact, he wasn't stopping either. She weaved carefully between him and Hot Rod, Blurr still holding the lead. _//Did we wake you up?__ _

__He revved gruffly, but didn't answer. Whatever had woken him up, it looked like he was just as zippy as the rest of them now._ _

__CLANK!_ _

__Arcee skidded to a halt. That clank had been out of rhythm; the sharp corner wasn't for another twenty mechanometers. She transformed and looked up at Ultra Magnus, grimacing and rubbing his shin where he'd been struck at high speed. She winced in sympathy. Blurr was as good as a proton bolt when he got going. "...morning?"_ _

__"Outside," he said. "Now."_ _

__"Yes, Sir!" She snapped a salute and bolted down the side hall, leading the other three out to the empty tarmac and the early desert sun. It was even better out here. They could circuit the whole base, Hot Rod ramping off the sharp angles of the mountain as they went._ _

__Ultra Magnus watched them go, still bleary-opticked._ _

__Kup ambled up and laid a hand on his arm. "They outta the way of anything loud or fragile?"_ _

__Magnus rubbed the bridge of his nose and nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with them. I'll have them evaluated once the medics are awake."_ _

__Kup chuckled. "Nothin' wrong with 'em. Early mornin' tear-afting around is the sign of a healthy, well-fueled racer. An' now that we're off the front lines, we're gonna see a lot more of it."_ _

__Magnus sighed. "I might look into a transfer."_ _

__Kup led him back down the hall toward his quarters. "C'mon, Magnus. We can transfer anyone needs transferring once it's morning shift."_ _

__Out on the desert road, the four bots were racing, jostling for place as they overtook each other, occasionally switching to root mode to ghost ride one another before being thrown. The sky was getting lighter._ _


End file.
